Jase Bultar
Jase Bultar was the apprentice of Jedi master Ariel Kessana during the Yuuzhan Vong War. It was during that time that he met and married Ariel's niece, Cryslah Orion. History '9 ABY to 25 ABY' Jase Bultar was born on the pastoral world of Chandrila to a ranching family of secure economic means. Though his parents were aware of Jase's high midi-chlorian count, they kept the knowledge to themselves with good reason. There was simply nowhere to send him to be trained as a Jedi. Even after Luke Skywalker established the Praxeum on Yavin 4, Jase's parents didn't relent and kept the secret even from their son. However with the incidents surrounding the Disciples of Ragnos, Jase's parents saw for themselves the dangers of not training a Force strong child and agreed to send Jase to the Jedi Praxeum. There, for the first time in his life, Jase felt he'd found his path in life. While Jase was somewhat overshadowed by the more flamboyant exploits of his peers, he was a diligent, obedient student and steadily progressed in his training. At fifteen he was granted knighthood status, and apprenticed to Jedi Knight Solan Lar. Unlike the structure of the old Jedi Order, this was standard practice for Luke Skywalker's new order. In 25 ABY the Yuuzhan Vong War invaded the galaxy and Jase was thrust abruptly into war. Initially the losses to the Vong were huge, and Jase not only lost his comrades, but his innocence, his youth and his master, Solan Lar. Injured in the battle that took his master's life, Jase was sent to the Praxeum to recuperate and there he encountered Jedi Master Ariel Kessana. Under her guidance Jase recovered his balance and belief in himself and eventually the partnership was formalized. Jase became Ariel's official apprentice. Though his bond with his new master was of a different nature from his first one, Ariel and Jase trusted each other implicitly and an intuitive understanding developed between them. As well, Jase developed an appreciation for Ariel's husband Val, and learned many things from the Olari warrior. 'A Fateful Encounter (26 ABY to 31 ABY)' While on a mission to infiltrate and destroy a Yuuzhan Vong worldship, Jase met Cryslah Orion, the dark apprentice of Honor Harrington. The attraction between them was immediate and did not go unnoticed by either Harrington or Ariel Kessana, but it also threw Jase into confusion and turmoil. While the worldship was successfully destroyed, Jase and Crys were captured by the Vong before they could complete their escape. They were implanted with slave seeds and tortured, but it resulted in something their torturers didn't foresee: a bond being formed between them which strengthened them psychically, if not physically. The bond was largely responsible for Cryslah letting go of the darkside. As it seemed very likely the Vong would kill them, Jase took a lot of comfort from her redemption and he was prepared to die when the Yuuzhan Vong expelled them in space above Borleias. Jase (along with Cryslah) was rescued by Republic forces, and was brought to Borleias to be cared for by Master Cilghal, the Jedi healer. However, their condition was grave and Cilghal felt the situation on Borleias was not conducive to their recovery. At the same time Ariel learned, via Honor Harrington, that Cryslah was actually her brother Danyel's daughter. It was decided that Danyel would take Jase and Cryslah to Olaris to recover in a peaceful and secure setting. On Olaris, in the absence of either training or fighting and with Cryslah's darkness behind her, any confusion or hesitation Jase felt over his feelings for her disappeared. He allowed himself to fall fully in love with her, and she reciprocated his feelings fully. Their bond was already strong and now it took on a new dimension. Jase also, with the help of Jak Orion -- Danyel's father and a Jedi of the old order, began Cryslah's training in the Jedi arts. When he and Cryslah returned to the war, they were both Jedi and life partners. Because of the slave seed implant, Jase and Cryslah were attuned to Vong biology. They were among the very few Jedi who could sense the Yuuzhan Vong. They paired with Wraith Squadron and spent the rest of the war on infiltration missions with the Wraiths. As a result, they acquired a new arsenal of non-Jedi skills akin to what Jedi Sentinels of the old order possessed. With the Wraiths, they were a part of the first wave to retake Coruscant, and spent some time there hunting rogue Vong warriors who refused to surrender. 'Post-War Career (31 ABY - )' While most of the young Jedi knights spent the post-war reconstructions years bringing order and stability to the galaxy, Luke charged Jase and Cryslah with the mission of hunting down the Rogue Cryth. The Cryth was a sect of darksiders led by the ex-Jedi Logan Cole, and Cryslah had been a member for a brief time as had her former master, Honor Harrington. Honor had maintained loose ties with the Cryth while striking out on his own, but unbeknownst to Cole and his followers, Honor was actually an agent working for Luke Skywalker. Honor funnelled information to Jase and Cryslah which they would then act on. This arrangement helped to maintain Honor's cover. As a result of this long-term mission, Jase and Cryslah became adept at dealing with many things related to the dark side and the Sith. Due to their specialized awareness and abilities, when the second galactic war broke out, they saw the handwriting on the wall in regards to Jacen Solo before his own family was willing to acknowledge what was happening. As Jedi knights, however, they could only offer their opinions, not strenuously argue for a particular course of action. By the time the threat of the Lost Tribe of the Sith emerged, Jase and Cryslah were well primed to play significant and unique roles in the conflict. When Luke set his trap for the Lost Tribe, he left Jase and Cryslah behind on Coruscant under deep cover. They were instructed to gather intel only and to maintain their cover under any circumstance. The intel they gathered on the Lost Tribe was instrumental in eliminating so many Sith in the initial phase of the Jedi strike. When the Jedi departed Coruscant permanently Jase and Cryslah went with them, as Luke had plans for his first official Jedi Shadows of the New Order. Some time after the Jedi relocation on Shedu Maad, Jase and Cryslah finally decided to have children. Cryslah gave birth to identical twin boys. They named the twins Jak and Jon after their two grandfathers.